Hidden Personalities Discontinued
by HalfwayParanoid
Summary: Kiyoko seems like a normal ninja who wants another chance at life, starting at the Hidden Sand village. After being initiated as a Sand nin, she starts struggling with an old Demon that still haunts her to this day. On top of that, she finds herself attracted to a flaming red headed Kazekage. Can she hide her otherself from the others , or will she lose the battle within herself?
1. Off To A Grumbling Start

**Ok, this is my first Naruto fanfiction with the one and only, Gaara! Woohoo! I ask that you ignore the grammar mistakes and any miss spelling. I have double checked my work. **

**Next on the list. I haven't watched Naruto in a LONG time, just confessing, and I got exhausted trying to watch the Shippuden series. I have set this after the end of the series cause I really can't come up with something that twists in with the plot. I don't want to even mess with the plot because it's pretty good, and doesn't need any change or twist. **

**This is my version of what happens after the end of Naruto as I just said above; also, some things may be different, if anything is off a little in who is still alive and around then let me know. Also, please tell me how I did concerning this chapter, it may depend on whether or not I will continue this. **

**With thanks, I now will let you be. Enjoy.**

It was HOT.

That was all she could think of at that exact moment.

The sun was beating down on top of her dark brown head as sand kicked up at her hide booted feet. Nothing of her training, nothing of other peoples' warnings would have prepared her for this change.

Kiyoko stopped walking, trying to figure out what direction she was headed in; cursing the hot, dry terrain that surrounded her each second; making it harder for her to judge where she was headed. Sunagakure was even more hard to find that she previously thought.

Tugging at her cloak that she had on, Kiyoko gladly folded the heavy piece of material up and put it inside her travel backpack. She carried not much with her, just the bare essentials; which was all she really owned. Three sets of caravan clothes, two sets of, really old and un-fitting ninja clothes, and one pair of animal hide boots. Hidden in the rest of her bag were tools of a trade she wanted long ago, to give up but never could: her ninja weapons.

Sighing heavily, she scratched her head and pulled out a map from one of the many pockets on the bag. "Argh! This should be easy." She growled looking back and forth from the map to the never ending desert.

Kiyoko had decided to leave her home due to extreme personal circumstances; circumstances she did NOT want to think of at the moment. Twisting a long lock of dark brown hair around her fingers in a nervous and stressed habit, she grit her teeth and sighed; looking back over her shoulder for the millionth time.

"Surely, I have out ran them by now." she thought as she turned back to her map, pulling out a compass for further direction.

Looking at the little needle then at the map, she nodded her head in a confirmation that she was on the right path to Sunagakure. Right on schedule.

Kiyoko tucked everything back into its place before resetting her bag on her shoulder and starting off once more in an attempt to start a new life.

"Good God, it's HOT!"

:O::O::O:

Finally.

Finally, she had reached her destination: Sunagakure.

It may have taken Kiyoko nearly two weeks wandering the desert, but she FINALLY found it. And it wasn't what she was expecting.

It looked like a giant cliff cut down in sections with a HUGE slit in the middle. The fun part, it was heavily guarded which meant that it was going to be even harder for her to get through. There was already movement among and around the cliff, which indicated that Kiyoko was spotted from a distance away.

"Oh well," she thought as she took up a light paced jog, "I at least hope they will be nice. I really don't want to get into an argument."

Approaching the cliff, Kiyoko slowed her pace till she came to a halt a few feet from a sand ninja. Her stomach already forming knots of apprehension from her overactive thoughts.

"State your name, where you are from, and your business with Sunagakure." came the usual greeting when entering a village.

Kiyoko sighed inwardly, then realized that she didn't have her hitai-ate on; she had taken it off when she left her home in Kusagakure. That was many years ago; years that were spent with a wandering caravan that roamed through the lands that it had access to. Living off the land and caring for family, never really having to worry about ninja attacking all the time. Something that Kiyoko loved most of all.

"My name is Kiyoko Kuraiko, I have come here in hopes that your Kazekage would allow me to live here." she stated, raising her chin a fraction of an inch higher, indicating that she didn't feel threatened by the sand ninjas.

The two men that stood in her way to a new life, looked at one another for a moment, as if to share a thought. "You may enter Miss Kuraiko, and we hope you find what you are looking for." The sand nin said before going back to his post, allowing Kiyoko to enter.

The massive walls of the cliff were very intimidating, but what got Kiyoko's attention was the village itself. It was a small but prosperous place for people.

Children ran thought the dusty streets, playing games or carrying baskets of supplies or food. Women and men walked around, some dressed as ninja and others dressed as shop keepers and other everyday people. Kiyoko smiled, knowing right then and there, she was going to love living in the sand village, whether she was a ninja or not.

As she walked though the village, looking for the Kazekage's administrative building; she didn't notice the many curious looks that were sent her way. Probably due to how she was dressed: a loose fitted tan shirt that hung down to her stomach, showing wrappings that covered the rest of her belly and going down below her make-shift skirt that was slit in four ways. Every time she moved or walked, you could see tight leggings that she wore underneath and animal hide boots that were held in place by leather strips that wound around her ankles up to her calves. Yes, she was dressed as person that traveled with a caravan. The only thing that indicated that she wasn't truly from a caravan was how she carried herself. It said 'I know what I am capable of

Kiyoko walked for a good while, never once spotting the administrative building. "How hard could it be to find?" she thought as she sat down on a bench to rest and gather her thoughts.

Wearied, she slumped a little on the bench, momentarily defeated; she was never good at directions or finding her way somewhere. She normally ended up, somehow, lost, with a map and compass in hand, and directions that some nice old man had given her.

She didn't know how long she sat there, pondering her latest circumstance when a shadow fell across her, startling her out of her thoughts.

"What are you doing here all by yourself, young lady?" purred a young voice.

Kiyoko looked up and nearly had a heart attack. A young man stood in front of her, with purple makeup on his face in weird markings. He had on all black with a weird looking hat that had cat ears on it. To top it all off, he carried a few scrolls on his back, making him look even tougher and creepier; and all out more ninja.

Kiyoko swallowed unnoticeably and smiled a little. "I kind of got lost on my way to the Kazekage's administrative building. Can you please direct me to it?" she asked nicely. She was annoyed with herself at how she had easily gotten lost. "And it is probably just a straight shot from here to there!" came her inward groan.

"I kind of am a little lost. If you could point the way to the administrative building, please, it would be most helpful." She asked dejectedly; looking up at the creepy guy with a pleading look.

Creepy dude laughed and held out a hand to her. "How about I walk you there? You seem like the kind of person who gets lost very easily."

Her cheeks burned red at his comment, knowing it was completely, and utterly true. "You got me there, and thank you." she muttered taking his hand.

Creepy chuckled, "So I did peg you right." he muttered before trying to put an arm around her shoulders.

She didn't do things like that.

"Please, don't even think about pulling that pathetic move on me." she growled, looking at him warningly out of the corner of her eyes. "I may have accepted your help, but I will NOT be handled in that type of way."

Creepy pulled away from her quick, fast and in a hurry, holding his hands up in front of him. "Whoa, okay, geez, I'm sorry." he said, waiting for her to signal she was ready to walk again. "Someone's a tight wad." he thought as he walked a foot ahead of her.

Kiyoko didn't talk much on their way there. There was nothing to talk about nor to mention. Whenever they got stopped, she would stand off to the side and listen attentively, trying not to draw attention to herself.

"And I see you have another pretty young woman with you today, Kankurou." observed an older looking sand ninja who was looking at Kiyoko questionably. "I haven't seen her before, where did you find her?" he asked, turning his attention back to Kankurou.

Kankurou opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a female voice.

"He didn't find me. He is just showing me where the Sunakagure administrative building is. Which by the way, you are keeping him from his task." Kiyoko growled, hating it when people talk about her like she isn't there. Yanking on Kankurou's black sleeve she pointed her thumb in the direction that they were heading. "Can you _please_ get me there before sun down?" she hated being mean and snubby, but she _really _wanted to have somewhere before dark settled on the little village.

Her first hand experience with the desert night weather left her dreading another night spent outside.

Kankurou gave her a look before biding the fellow ninja a farewell. "What was that about?" he asked, a little confused at her behavior.

Kiyoko's mouth thinned into a small line while her face turned beat red. "I-I'm sorry, I just don't want to be out on the streets after dark." she muttered ashamedly.

The rest of the walk was silent between the two, after a few minutes they reached the administrative building.

Kiyoko was mentally kicking herself for not being able to find the building that was a STRAIGHT shot from where she was sitting. "Stupid moron!" she yelled in her mind. "Thanks for helping me, um, Kankurou." she said hesitantly while holding out her hand for him to shake.

Kankurou looked at her, smiled and took her hand. "Your more than welcome, I never caught your name though." he insisted.

Kiyoko smiled tightly, not really wanting to leave him her name. "Kiyoko Kuraiko. I know, a mouth full." she stated flatly.

Kankurou smiled widely and graced her with a small salute before walking away. "Hope to see you around Miss Kuraiko."

Kiyoko let go of a breath she was holding and turned towards the huge building.

"Here goes nothing." she thought grimly when she walked inside, ready to make a new start in her life.


	2. A Sketchy Meeting

**Well, to start off, I had MORE trouble writing this than anything else. I was challenged by a friend and accepted that challenge. But really, for me, it was hard. **

**Further on, I would have to say that this is part filler and not part filler. Also, as you know I haven't watched this show in ages, so I have NO clue of all who is Gaara's fan girls. If I got something wrong, please let me know. I don't know if I will continue this fanfic or not, it just all depends. Also, thank you for the review, that was a lot quicker than I expected, it kind of made my day. **

**I would like to say thanks for reading one more time and...**

**Enjoy.**

She was enjoying this. Mentally sighing with relief, she rolled her shoulders unnoticing, relaxing in the cool building. The dramatic change between the outside and inside of the building had surprised her at first when she came in. Now she was just happy to be out of the sweltering heat, even if it meant following a young secretary to the Kazekage's office.

Nervousness suddenly took a hold of Kiyoko's stomach, making her step hesitate behind the young ninja.

"Is something wrong Miss Kuraiko?" the ninja lady asked, turning around, an eyebrow quirked. One would have thought the young secretary was hoping Kiyoko would turn around go back to where she came from. How wrong that assumption would have been.

Kiyoko gave her a wan smile while rubbing the back of her neck. "No, nothing. I am just exhausted and ready to sleep for a bit." she admitted.

The young secretary stared at her a little longer before harrumphing and starting to walk towards the office again. Reaching a closed door, the young woman's hand hesitated in front of the door. She suddenly wheeled around on Kiyoko, giving her a murderous glare that got her head to spinning.

"You stay away from my Gaara. You hear me? If you don't, you will pay dearly." she threatened, earning a bewildered look from Kiyoko.

"O-okay?" she seemed unsure and wondered _why_ the woman would threaten her. And who _was _her Gaara?

The woman glared at her a bit longer before turning brilliant smile upon her making Kiyoko wince. The brunette secretary flounced back to the door and _loudly_ knocked.

Kiyoko wondered if her knuckles were cracked and hurt from that pounding.

"Come." came the short reply of a young voice.

The secretary popped her head into the doorway, smiling brightly towards the Kazekage before stepping further into the room. "Kazekage-sama, a young woman is here to see you." she announced before giving a bow of respect, then motioned for Kiyoko to come into the room.

"Leave us." he stated towards the secretary, barely glancing at her. She smiled tightly towards him, bowing in respect again.

"Yes sir." she practically chirped before straightening, sending Kiyoko a glare, and scampering out of the office.

Kiyoko watched the door shut behind the woman, leaving her alone with the Kazekage; something that was making her nervous. Turning to him, her face a mask, she observed the young leader.

Technically, he wasn't quiet that young anymore. At the age of 29, almost 30, he looked good with his bright red hair that was a little on the shaggy side; he also wore the Kage robes, which seemed to suit him quiet well. He was rather _cute_, according to her.

Her mind came to a halt at that last thought; she thought the Kazekage, whom she haven't even properly greeted, was _cute._ Not what she was expecting of herself; but then again, she did have weird ideas at times like these.

Gaara stood up behind his desk and started walking around it to the front. Kiyoko _finally_ remembered her manners.

Throwing herself into action, Kiyoko bowed low to the Kage, "Forgive me Kazekage-sama, I completely forgot my manners." she apologized embarrassedly, her face already just about matched his hair color.

Gaara's face never portrayed any emotion while he studied the young girl in front of him. Her long, dark brown hair hid her face, making it harder for him to see it. For some odd reason, he wanted to see her face, to study her even more.

"Stand." he said a little too harshly.

Bitting her bottom lip, Kiyoko straightened from her bowing position, her grey eyes quickly meeting his seafoam green.

He was shocked at how she reacted to his near command. When she had straightened, the scent of moist earth assaulted him, causing him to blink, taken aback. Now he couldn't stop himself from staring at her, taking in her delicately heart-shaped face, slender eyebrows, down to the little pert nose and small lips that were now pressed into a thin line.

"Your name." he stated bluntly, trying to drag his eyes from her traveling caravan clothing that she was wearing; the clothing, in his opinion, showing more than he would like to imagine.

"My name is Kiyoko Kuraiko, I am 21 almost 22. I come from a traveling caravan and have become restless. I wish to live here as a citizen of Suna, if you will." she stated as humbly as she could; her eyes lowered towards the floor.

Gaara stared at her even harder now, "she doesn't even really look her age." he thought then walked back to his chair. He rested his elbows on the massive desk, folded his hands and rested his chin on top of them, all the while Kiyoko squirmed uncomfortably under his studious gaze.

"You can stay."

She looked up, hope shining dimly in her eyes. "Thank you." she muttered, bowing deeply towards him again. "You don't know how much this means to me." she said as she straightened, giving him a bright smile.

The Kazekage blinked for the second time that day and opened a drawer in his desk. "Very well." he muttered, pulling up a few forms. "You will have to fill the rest of these out before anything else happens."

Nodding her head vigerously, Kiyoko practically ripped the papers out of his hand, grabbed the pen from the other, and started jotting down whatever was asked on them. On the last page, however, she hesitated on the question, causing Gaara to notice.

It read, "What village did you come from and what was your status in it?"

Tugging at a strand of hair, her nervous habit, she decided to go with what she previously was, not wanting to go deep into hurtful memories.

Finished, she handed him the papers and stood eagerly, waiting for him to tell her that she was cleared.

He slowly scanned over the papers, before nodding his head in acceptance. She was good to go, her background ok. But a nagging feeling in the back of his mind bugged him, causing him to blurt out the question, "Were you previously a ninja at any age?"

Nothing gave way in Kiyoko's face when he asked that; she had mentally prepared herself for that question. "Not that I can recall."

Giving her a funny look, the Kazekage frowned at her, which basically told her he didn't believe her.

Kiyoko swallowed a lump that had somehow formed in her throat and looked at the Kazekage dead on in the eyes, never flinching back.

Sighing, Gaara decided to let the subject slide, this once and nodded his head. "Welcome to Sunagakure." he welcomed, and received a bright smile that could have lit up the entire Wind country.

:O::O::O:

Tossing her bag on the bed, she flopped down beside it, groaning with satisfaction. She was going to be able to start a new life here in Suna.

Kiyoko now lay in her not so new apartment, taking in the sight and smells of it. She really couldn't be happier.

Sitting up, her bed creaked and groaned under her weight, giving off a slight musty smell. Kiyoko wrinkled her nose a bit and got up to tour her apartment for a second, wondering if there was anything that needed to be fixed. Upon further inspection, her only problem would be the musty odor that clung to the apartment and a matress that needed to be sunned.

Opening a window, the smell of Dango wafted through the window to Kiyoko, making her stomach rumble.

Chuckling to herself, Kiyoko grabbed a small pouch from her backpack and started for the door. "Well, better get something to eat for tonight." she thought, locking up her new apartment and starting out into the street, the sunset already shining the last of its few rays on Suna.

:O::O::O:

A month and a half passed without any worries for Kiyoko. Life in Sunagakure was just plain wonderful.

Her days consisted of getting up, cleaning the apartment, doing grocery shopping, looking around the market in Suna, or just spending time in the park, watching the children play. Yep, life couldn't get any better than this. Till one day.

Kiyoko was out getting a few groceries to last her a few weeks. She had been restless for a few weeks now, and so she tried to fill that void with as much activity as she could. From shopping in the district to helping out at her favorite Dango stand; she didn't know what her problem was. Today, she was stocking up on food when she had this sudden urge to turn her head.

They were there; the ninja from Kohonagakure that she had met a few years back with the traveling caravan, walking with the Kazekage and his siblings. There were five of them, and she knew who they were instantly. Sakura, Neji, Shikamaru, Kakashi and Naruto, who was now dressed as the Hokage.

Not able to peel her eyes from them, she noticed that next instant that they all had aged, and Naruto looked more grownup, more mature; she highly doubted it. When she had met the blonde ninja, he was hyper and easily distracted, which made her think that he would still be the same way when he aged even more.

Suddenly, Kiyoko realized she needed to hide and get away from them before they recognized her. They knew of her past; how she used to be a ninja.

Ducking her brown head, hiding her face, she quickly and quietly turned and threaded her way through the small crowd. What Kiyoko didn't know what that a pair of light lavender eyes had caught her figure for a second.

:O::O::O:

"Neji, what wrong?" Shikamaru asked, noticing his friends' shocked gaze.

Neji looked back at his group of friends and shook his head. "I guess it was nothing." he muttered, blinking his eyes a few times.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked, skeptism in her voice.

Neji looked at each person, his gaze stopping on Naruto, his friend and Hokage.

He then decided to voice his thoughts before they thought he was going crazy. "I thought I just saw Kiyoko Kuraiko."


	3. An Idiot is Lost

**Hi, sorry for the late update. I ran into Writers Block, or more like Detail Block. Anyways, there will be another chapter or two before I hit writers block again. I will ask again in the next chapter but for now, I request ****y****ou, my readers, to give me ideas of what to do after the next chapter. I have an idea, but it is not till later in the story and I have NO clue of where to go after this. **

**Onward, I ask that you forgive the spelling and grammar errors, my word processor is STILL trying to get the kinks out of it. Now, to answer Kilalahinanaruto555's question. I have looked through several websites and found little to nothing about Matsuri and Sari being the secretary. I can say, after reading several fanfics with Gaara, I do believe Matsuri is Gaara's student, so that leaves Sari to possibly be his secretary. **

**To conclude this authors note, I ask that you reveiw, and give me ideas of what to write after the next chapter, this story used to be well thought out. Now, I will let you enjoy this next chapter, and don't whine when you reach the end, please, the next one will be out soon. Thanks!**

"What do you mean 'you saw Kiyoko?'" came Sakura's question.

They were all sitting in the living room of Gaara's house; it was agreed that it was the most private place in Suna for them to speak.

Neji glared at Sakura, "That's just it, I thought I saw her. I mean the person did look like her, just…older." He seemed confused like the rest of them, minus the sand siblings.

Kakashi looked towards Gaara, "Do you know of any Kiyoko Kuraiko's?" he asked, knowing the young Kage would probably have the answer.

Gaara looked off to the distance, frowning, "Well…" he paused, there had been so much paper work and people coming in and out of his office that he just couldn't remember. He shook his head no.

There was a short, but brief silence when someone yelled out.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned towards the voice, giving Kankuro a look. Sakura raised her eyebrow, "Well?" she prompted, not wanting to wait all day.

Kankuro smirked, please with himself that he remembered, "I do believe I recognize that name." he paused, wanting to be dramatic.

Gaara looked at him while Temari frowned, "Well? Do I need to beat it out of you?" she threatened.

Kakuro swallowed, he _sure _didn't want Temari after him and decided to finish quickly. "A month or so back, I came across this young girl who was sitting on a bench alone. I asked her what she was doing and she told me she was lost and asked me where the Kage tower was. Being the gentleman that I am," his statement earning a snort from Temari and Sakura. "I led her to the tower and left her standing there by the entrance."

Gaara looked at his brother for a second before narrowing his eyes. "Now I remember." he muttered.

Temari and Naruto swung their gazes over to him, putting him on the hot spot.

"A young girl, dressed as a traveling person from a caravan came into my office. Please don't ask me when, I do not remember. She asked to live here in Suna, and gave me her name. I asked her a few questions, had her fill out the usual documents and what not, and welcomed her to Suna." He paused, not wanting to mention that he thought something was off about that girl when he met her.

"Is she a threat?" came Temari's blatant question, not wanting to beat around the bushes.

All kunoichi from Kohona looked at one another again, before smiling and shaking their heads.

"Gaara," Naruto started, getting Gaara's attention. "Is she a ninja here?" he asked.

Gaara shook his head no. "She said that she had no skills or knowledge as a ninja. Though I didn't and still don't believe it at the time." he voiced.

All five leaf ninja stared at one another for a few minutes, trying to comprehend the information that they were given.

"So," Shikamaru started cautiously, "your saying that Kiyoko Kuraiko is _not_ a sand ninja?"

Gaara nodded his head, feeling no need to answer verbally.

The leaf ninja turned to each other and frowned, one question running through their minds. "Why did she lie to the Kazekage?"

"Well," Naruto started and was cut off by Sakura elbowing him in the stomach, hard.

"We know for a fact that Kiyoko is _highly_ skilled in the arts of the ninja." Sakura started cautiously, looking at the sand siblings. Temari nodded her head as a consent to continue. "But, as for her withholding information from the Kazekage? I think only 'she' can explain that. I know for a fact that Kiyoko Kuraiko is no threat to this village if that is all you are worried about."

Gaara stared at the floor a bit, mulling over what to do in his mind.

"I would like to know _why_ she didn't want to be a ninja." Naruto voiced the same question that Gaara had.

Gaara nodded his head in agreement with the Hokage. "Then, let us see why." he stated matter of factly while lacing his fingers together.

"And pray tell, how are you going to do that?" Kankuro asked looking skeptically at his younger brother.

Gaara looked up and into all of the kunoichi's faces. "Easily, I'll just have her watched for the time being. Then I will decide what to do."

:O::O::O:

She knew she was being watched.

That next morning when she had woken up, Kiyoko had noticed some of her defense traps had been disabled or purposely triggered. Gritting her teeth, she raked her mind for any possibilities as to _why_ she was being observed by the ANBU; she had already figured out who it was.

Sighing with defeat, she knew better than to confront them and decided to act normal. How hard could that be when you knew you were being watched?

Finishing the last touches of dusting in her tiny apartment; there was no use getting rid of the sand, Kiyoko took a small break to see what else had to be done.

The kitchen was clean, the bed rooms and living room aired and dusted, the bathroom cleaned, and the floor was swept as best as sand could get swept. Yes, she had done an exquisite job in cleaning.

"Now on to more pressing matters." she thought, her stomach rumbling in agreement.

Skipping breakfast was something she normally did, but that didn't mean skip lunch or dinner. Not wanting to mess up her clean kitchen, Kiyoko grabbed her little money pouch, locked up her apartment and started for her favorite dango shop. She knew she was being followed but gave it no other thought; she didn't want to lose any focus on where she was going.

After a few minutes of walking and being stopped a few times by shop keepers giving samples, Kiyoko soon found herself lost, once more, in a nearly empty street.

"Oh my God, HOW?" she cried out, grabbing her head in irritation. "I go to this place nearly every day. "So, _how_ can I get _lost_ from my apartment to there?" she yelled out, pulling a few strands of hair. "I just don't get it!" She was more than pissed with herself now.

She was hungry, being followed, and on top of that, easily got lost. "This has to be the sixteenth time for me." she growled loudly, slamming a palm to her forehead, forgetting her little audience sitting not too far away, concealed from sight.

The ANBU were at a loss, "How can a person get lost going from her place to a food stand that is practically a _straight shot_ from their home?" came a question from one of the masked ninja.

Another one snickered, "I don't know, but you have to admit, it's kind of funny. I mean, they say she is an _extremely_ good ninja, but place her on the street with a destination, and BAM, she's wandering around lost." He received several chuckles from his statement and they all turned back to the hilarious sight, wanting to see what Kiyoko would do next.

"Why ME?" she yelled out, growling in the end. There was no one around on the street to see her rant at herself, minus the ANBU. "I can have a map, a compass, _written out _directions and still get LOST!" she continued, smacking herself several time in the head with her palm.

One ANBU shook his head, "Wow, if she keeps that up, she may lose a few brain cells before long." he snickered, smiling big under his mask.

"Idiot, MORON! Agh!" Kiyoko yelled out, grabbing her head and shaking it. "WHY do I get lost all of the TIME?"

"Kiyoko! Over here!" a voice called out, stopping her in mid rant.

Kiyoko looked up from her little rage and saw the daughter of the dango stand owner waving at her. Boy, was she stupid. Face palming herself once more extremely hard, Kiyoko let her shoulders slump as she dragged her feet to the dango stand.

"Hey! Did you get lost again?" the young girl asked her as she walked up to her.

Kiyoko gave an embarrassed smile and rubbed the back of her neck. "Eh…Do I really have to say it, Tatsumi-chan?" she asked, looking away.

Tatsumi laughed and patted the older girls shoulder. "No, oh gosh no." she tried to quell the chuckles coming from her before she spoke again. "I had a suspicion you would come today, and figured I might as well stand out here waiting for you. Knowing you, I knew you would somehow get lost again." Tatsumi beamed a bright grin at Kiyoko while leading her to the stand. "Now, the usual?" she asked.

:O::O::O:

Kiyoko sat on a stool, enjoying her dango when two cloaked figures came up and sat down beside her. Looking from her peripheral vision, she studied the two figures. They seemed relaxed to a civilians eye, but to a ninja's point of view, they were tense. Shrugging mentally, the young girl went back to her dango.

"What can I get you two?" Tatsumi asked the figures, trying to get a look at their faces that hid in the cloak shadows.

The figures shrugged then one spoke up in a raspy voice. "Whatever is good."

Tatsumi frowned then slid a glance over at Kiyoko. She wanted to know the woman's opinion before anything went on.

Kiyoko gave a conspicuous nod of encouragement that said 'act normal, everything will be fine.' The young girl, mentally sighing with relief, nodded at the two strangers and questioned herself as to _why_ she would seek Kiyoko's advice on situations like that. "This had to be the third time." she thought to herself as she gave her father the order slip.

Kiyoko, meanwhile, munched on her dango contently, keeping an eye on the two strangers. "Something's up." came her one thought while she adjusted her position just a tiny bit.

"The spider that spins it's web, catches its' meal." a thin, young voice whispered from the cloaked figure that was closest to Kiyoko.

Kiyoko tensed as she heard this; only three people knew that saying. It was a code phrase only used when calling the ninja together. "Never judge what you first see." she calmly stated back, acknowledging that the statement had been heard.

The ANBU meanwhile, strained their ears to hear what was going on. Concern should have been shown when the two cloaked figures popped up immediately, but when one started talking to Kiyoko, they realized something was wrong.

"What do you want?" Kiyoko asked harshly, never looking up from her dango.

The young man, who she knew instantly only a moment ago, put his hands on the counter, pausing when Tatsumi sat two plates of food in front of him and his companion.

"Enjoy." she stated before walking away, giving Kiyoko a look on her way out.

Both figures took a bit of their freshly made dango before resuming the whispered conversation.

"We are here to recruit you once more." the young man spoke, taking a small bit of food.

Kiyoko glared at her plate, slowly setting down her dango. "Why?"

"The order needs to be rebuilt, and your one of the few that are needed. If you don't agree to join us once more, we will be entitled to use whatever means necessary to force you to join us. Is that clear?"

Kiyoko slightly nodded her head, gulping down her partially chewed food. She did not want to voice anything at the moment.

"Good, you have two days to decide whether you will join the easy or the hard way." with that said, the older cloaked figure left a few coins on the bar, paying for the meals and left as quickly and quietly as they came.


	4. Tough Decisions

**I would like to thank all my readers that have reviewed and stayed with me through out this entire story, that, and I have no right at all to say how sorry I am for not updating sooner. **

**I know this is a little shorter than the others, but, it was the best I could do. So, please enjoy and read the other half of the authors note when you are through. **

**Also, do I really have to do a disclaimer? We all know that I nor anyone of you own Naruto. The only person who owns it is the writer who lives somewhere in Japan.**

"So, what did you find out about her?" came the Kazekage's question.

The two ANBU looked at one another, shrugging in unison. "Well, she is very organized, keeps busy and loves Dango." one said, while the other tried to keep from outright laughing.

Gaara looked at the second ANBU to his left and glared. "Is there something else you would like to add?"

Coming to a controlled chuckle, the ANBU looked at his Kazekage, "I am sorry Lord Kazekage, I was just remembering something from this morning pertaining to Kiyoko Kuraiko." he stated, a combined snicker and snort coming from him and his partner.

The Kazekage raised a nonexistent eyebrow at the two ANBU. "Well?"

After a difficult minute of laughing softly to themselves, the ANBU composed themselves as much as they could. "Mrs. Kuraiko, in the business district today, got lost."

"Lost?" Gaara asked in a disbelief tone. "How can she get lost here in Suna?"

The ANBU looked at each other, shrugged and turned back towards their leader. "We have no clue. There are some cases were people don't have good sense of direction, like Kiyoko."

Gaara turned and looked out the window, concern gnawing at his mind.

"There was one other thing sir," the other ANBU started. Causing the Kazekage to swing his gaze over to him. "Two cloaked ninja approached her yesterday and left not long after conversing with her. Miss Kuraiko left the Dango Shoppe with a dark look and aura about her."

"Has she acted anymore out of the ordinary since then?" he asked, trying to grasp the situation.

The ANBU shook their heads no. "Well, keep a sharp eye on her for now, let me know if anything goes on out of the ordinary as soon as possible."

After he dismissed the ANBU he looked out the window again pondering what was going on.

The next day….

Kiyoko sat on a swing in a deserted playground. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts for the time being.

Footsteps alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone anymore. "Who could it be now?" she thought, thinking about the ANBU that kept following her.

"Mind if I sit here?" a male voice asked.

Kiyoko looked up and saw Naruto standing there smiling at her, just the way he used to do when she stayed near Konoha at one point in time. She nodded her head while making an agreeing sound. The swing beside her creaked with the weight being added to it. "Just like old times, eh?"

Kiyoko smiled sadly and nodded her head before sighing.

"Want to talk about it?"

Kiyoko looked up at the blonde ninja and smile a sad, fond smile. Naruto gazed at her a moment before shrugging and looking ahead. She would tell him eventually.

"What would you do if someone told you that if you didn't do something the way they liked it they would hurt the people you care about?"

Naruto looked at his young friend before turning back to the scenery ahead. "I would do whatever it took to keep the precious people I care for safe. If I had to, I would fight the people who threaten their lives. _That_ is what I would do." he said with conviction lacing his voice.

Kiyoko looked up at her close friend, mulling over what he had just told her. She smiled and got up off the seat and gave him a warm hug. "Thank you, Naruto." she whispered to him before walking back to her apartment, already planning what she had to do to be ready for the night that was ahead of her.

Naruto just looked at Kiyoko sadly, knowing she had just told him a great deal in that one question. He _knew_ that her past was catching up to her; knew that she faced a tough choice at that moment. He just helped her make her decision that would protect those she cared about.

* * *

Shadows flickered in street lights as the desert began to cool down. A cloaked figure stood alone in a hidden training field. The wind blew around the figure, causing the dark cloak to flutter in the breeze. No one was out that night, minus drunkards and a few ANBU who managed to escape a powerful sleep ninjutsu not too long ago.

Suddenly, several shadow figures appeared before the lone cloaked one; each acknowledging one another. The wind died down.

"You're time is up," rasped the leader as he threw off his hood. "What is your final decision?"

Kiyoko looked around the small group of cloaked figures and past them into the heart of Suna; her heart hitched into her throat at what she was about to do.

"My answer is…" she paused while pulling her hood off and looking sternly into the leaders eyes, "Yes. I will join you."

**Shocking answer, right? Ok, here is the deal. I am putting story up for adoption as of this chapter. The reason being is that I can't write this story without gaging, it is not how I really planned it in the begining.**

**So, to those who want to adopt this story, please let me know in your review and tell me the title of your best story you have written and I will judge who will adopt this story. **

**Thanks for reading and if you like my writing, then check out my new story I have started working on call Delinquent High, which is a modern Naruto story. **


	5. Author Note: Discontinuing

To those who have been reading and following Hidden Personalities.

I am sorry to say, I will quit working on this story for now, possibly redo-ing the entire thing later on when I get a chance.

If you like my stories, please check out Delinquet High, (can't spell) and Prodegies of the Leaf. Those will be the two I will update and work on for now.

Thank you for following this story and hope to hear from you in other reviews. Thanks again and I am sorry for ending like this.


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